A Short Abdominal Point-of-Care Ultrasound Workshop for Medical Students Using a Wireless Handheld Device: Implementation and Immediate Outcomes of a Single-Group Pre–Post Pilot Study

Abstract

Handheld devices have made hands-on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training more accessible, but evidence from routine undergraduate teaching remains limited. We describe the implementation and immediate outcomes of a short abdominal POCUS workshop using wireless handheld devices. In this prospective single-group pre–post pilot study, 70 medical students in Bucharest, Romania, each attended one of six identical three-hour workshops (one-hour lecture and two hours of supervised peer scanning). The primary outcome was the change in a 10-item knowledge test score; secondary outcomes were post-training practical task performance, self-assessed competence and satisfaction. All 70 students completed both assessments. Knowledge scores increased from 6.04 ± 1.76 to 7.77 ± 1.54 (mean change 1.73, 95% confidence interval 1.27–2.18; p < 0.001; Cohen’s dz = 0.90). After training, 57 students (81.4%) completed all three practical tasks. Self-assessed competence rose from 1.98 to 4.07 on a 1–5 scale (p < 0.001), and at least 98.6% of students rated course conduct, theory–practice balance and interactivity 4 or 5 out of 5. The workshop was successfully delivered, well accepted and associated with higher immediate knowledge test scores. Because the design was uncontrolled and the identical test was repeated immediately, the effect of training cannot be separated from a testing effect.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. International Medical Education, 2026 · DOI ↗